Garment



Jan. 12, 1943. w. MENDE NHALL I 2,308,339

"GARMENT.

m Jan. 27, 1941- Patented Jan. 12, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Z f 2,308,339 .7 i

V GARMENT Henry White Mendenhall, Chicago, 111., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Standard Knitting Mills, Inc., a corporation of Tennessee Application January 2'7, 1941, Serial No. 376,084

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a garment and has for an object the provision of an undershirt or a sport shirt which is particularly useful for mens or boys wear.

Undershirts or sport shirts now in general use are manufactured from knitted fabrics which are produced on machines in tubular form. In accordance with common practice, the shirt is formed by knitting the tubular body portion into suitable lengths and then cutting and sewing the individual lengths to provide a garment having a tubular main body portion, an unobstructed bottom opening, and shoulder straps providing neck and arm openings. of this character is commonly worn by men and boys as an undershirt or sport shirt with underpants or shorts. The main body portion of the shirt is substantially uniform in diameter throughout its length and is consequently not form-fitting.

It is desirable in the construction of a normally close-fitting knitted garment of the character indicated above that it be made of such length that the lower portions extend down .below the hipline of the wearer. 'Many wearers A lmitted undershirt prefer that the lower peripheral edge of the shirt extend somewhat below the crotch. These garments, however, have a tendency to roll up and bunch at the waist because the garments are not form-fitted and also because the wearer is some- 7 what broader at or below the hipline than at the waistline. This rolling, bunching, or creeping up of shirts of this type often causes discomfiture to the wearer.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an undershirt or sport shirt which will not. have a tendency to roll or creep up toward the waistline of thewearer.

A further object of this invention is to provide an undershirt or sport shirt, the lower peripheral edges of which will, retain their position over the hips while being worn.

A further object of this invention is the provision of an'undershirt or sport shirt which will lar knitted fabric which provides the main body portion of the shirt. The tubular fabric may be cut and sewed at one end to provide neck and arm openings for the garment. The main body portion of the shirt may be of any desired length, however, in a preferred style, it normally extends to or below the crotch of the wearer. In order to prevent the undershirt from rolling or bunching around the waist, a slot is provided in the main body portion of the shirt which extends upwardly from the lower peripheral edges thereof. The slot is of substantial width and preferably extends up to that portion of the undergarment which is normally in the horizontal plane of the hipline of the wearer. It provides an upper con.- tour edge which is substantially parallel to the lower peripheral edge of the garment. The main body portion of the garment adjacent the upper contour edge of the slot is provided with means for restricting the normal stretchability of the garment in that portion to provide a means for causing the garment to fit tightly around the hips ofthe wearer. The slot is preferably cut from the lower front peripheral edge of the undershirt in such a manner that the maximum width of the slot is adjacent the uppermost portion thereof.

An undershirt or sport shirt constructed as indicated above provides the wearer with more comfort than has been obtainable from the shirts now commonly sold on the market. The wales of a knitted tubular shirt normally extend longitudinally of the main body portion, thus providing a body portion having its direction of maximum stretch extending circumferentially thereof. It is this property, to a large degree, which causes the shirts of the prior art to creep or roll above the hips of the wearer because of the tendency of the main body portion to contract and work upwardly in the hip regions.

. In accordance with this invention, however, a slot of substantial width has been provided in the lower peripheral edge of the shirt to permit the lower portions of the shirt to flare out and drape over the hips and legs of the wearer without bindingthe same, and consequently there is no tendency for the lowermost portions of the garment to creep up over the hips of the wearer. An important feature of this invention is the provision of a relatively wide slot terminating adjacent a restricting means provided in the main body portion of the garment and positioned substantially parallel to the lowerperipheral edges thereof. This restricting means is preferably positioned in the horizontal plane of the hipline of the wearer and has a tendency to prevent the fabric of the main body portion adjacent there-v to from being stretched for any substantial distance. Thus, the garment has a tendency to fit tighter around the hip portions than it would if this restricting means were not present. In this manner the restricting means very effectively cooperates withthe slot to prevent the creeping or bunching of the garment above the hipline. I have discovered that a garment constructed in accordance with this invention provides more comfort than those which have heretofore been disclosed in the art.

For a more complete understanding of this invention, reference will now be had to the drawin wherein is shown in perspective a garment constructed in accordance with one embodiment of this invention.

The garment comprises a main body portion 2 which is integrally woven or knitted on a suitable machine to provide a desired seamless fabric tube having its wales 4 extending in a direction generally longitudinally of the main body portion, as indicated in the drawing. The body portion 2 is cut at the top and sewed to provide shoulder straps 6 which outline the arm openings 8 and the neck opening III. The exposed cut edges of the main body portion and the straps 6 may be finished ofi in the usual manner. As shown, the lower opening of the main body portion of the undershirt preferably remains entirely unobstructed. However, in the front portion thereof, a slot l2 of substantial width is provided. The slot I2 extends upwardly from the lower peripheral edge of the main body portion 2 and is cut out in such a manner that it is somewhat wider adjacent its upper portion than adjacent its mouth. A binding strip I4 is secured to the main body portion 2 adjacent the upper contour edge of the slot I2. The binding strip I4 is formed from a relatively non-stretchable fabric and serves to restrict the circumferential stretch of the main body portion adjacent the strip in a direction transversely to the wales 4 of the garment. As shown in the drawing, the binding strip I4 is extended on either end to provide a means for finishing the side contour edges I6 of the slot I2. The lower peripheral edge of the garment is finished off in the customary manner.

The undershirt constructed in accordance with the example described above is not form fitted. However, due to the stretchability of the fabric in a direction transverse to the direction of the wales, it is capable of being fittted tightly to the body of the wearer. The wide slot I 2 in the main body portion of the garment permits the lower portions of the garment to flare out over the hips of the wearer, thus preventing bunching or creeping around the hips. The tendency of the garment to bunch around the hips is further prevented by the provision of the binding strip l4 adjacent the upper contour edge of the slot I2. This binding strip serves to restrict that portion of the undergarment to which it is secured from stretching in a circumferential direction immediately adjacent thereto. This binding strip M is preferably positioned in that portion of the front of the garment which defines the upper contour edge of the wide slot l2 and which lies substantially in the horizontal plane of the hipline of the wearer when the garment is being Worn. Consequently, the tightest fit of the garment is provided in that portion of the garment which is subjected to the fulcrum action between the trunk and the legs. It has been found that the tightening at this point in the manner indicated in combination with the slot I2 serves to prevent the creeping or bunching of the garment around the hips. Thus, a garment has been produced which is exceedingly comfortable for the wearer.

It is, of course, clear that many modifications of the specific form of garment shown in the drawings may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. For example, if desired, a plurality of slots may extend from the lower peripheral edge of the main body portion of the garment. The binding strip I4 need not continue along the side contour wall I6 of the slot I2 as shown in the drawing. Other restrictive means may be provided adjacent the upper contour edge of the slot I2 in order to provide a tight fit of the garment around the hipline of the wearer. Furthermore, it is not necessary that the undershirt be constructed from a piece of tubular integrally woven or knitted fabric. It may be constructed by knitting, weaving, or sewing in any manner, and may even be form-fitted if desired. The slot I2 may have any desired shape. However, it is preferred that it have the general shape indicated in the drawing. In the form of garment shown in the drawing, the slot is about 6 inches deep, about 3 inches wide at its widest point, and about 1 inches wide at its narrowest point. The slot is formed in this particular manner in order to provide adequate protection or coverage by the frontal portion of the garment when the garment is worn even though the edges adjacent the slot have a tendency to spread apart. It will, of course, be recognized that the slot may have a general rectangular shape or any other shape if desired.

While a particular embodiment of this invention is shown above, it will be understood, of course, that the invention is not to be limited thereto, since many modifications may be made, and it is contemplated, therefore, by the appended claims, to cover any such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. A garment of the character described comprising a knitted tubular body portion with wales extending substantially longitudinally thereof whereby said body portion has a direction of maximum stretch extending substantially circumferentially thereof, said body portion having an upwardly extending open slot positioned in the lower peripheral edge thereof, said slot having an upper contour edge substantially parallel to the lower peripheral edge of said body portion and being so cut as to have its maximum width adjacent said upper contour edge.

2. An undershirt comprising an integrally knitted tubular body portion having wales extending substantially longitudinally thereof, said body portion having an upwardly extending open slot positioned in the lower peripheral edge thereof, said slot having an upper contour edge and side contour edges extending upwardly from the lower peripheral edge of said body portion, and mean provided in said body portion adjacent the upper contour edge of said slot for restricting the normal circumferential stretch of the undershirt adjacent thereto, said slot being so cut as to have its maximum width adjacent the upper contour edge thereof.

3. A normally close-fitting undershirt of the character described comprising an integrally knitted tubular body portion of a length sufficient substantially to coverthe hips of the wearer, and having wales extending substantially longitudinally thereof, said body portion having an uphave its maximum width adjacent said upper contour edge, and a binding strip provided in said body portion adjacent said upper contour edge of said slot for restricting the normal circumferen- 5 tial stretch of the undershirt adjacent thereto.

HENRY WHITE MENDENHALL 

